AFRICAN FISH IN BATTER

Welcome to fish in batter African style! It is super crunchy on the outside, so tasty on the inside, savoury and just worth making again! This is a great snack, party food or picnic food.

We went all the way back to our Food and Nutrition class in secondary school in Cameroon, with this recipe. Fish in batter is equally popular in Nigeria. It is a true classic. This right here takes fried fish to a whole new level.

We were minding our business the other day when our brother-in-law popped in to see us with some really lovely fish and goat meat. Don’t you just love in-laws who visit you with raw food? Immediately we saw the fish, we purposed in our heart that we were going to make some fish in batter. And we did.

So here we are with your new favourite fish recipe! The fish is dipped in perfectly seasoned batter then deep fried to wicked deliciousness. Some people add beer to their batter to make beer-battered fish. We don’t. We make the batter with simple good old water.

We love having our battered fish with some semi-ripe plantain chips or Irish potato chips. There is nothing like it.

How it comes together

• Yield: 6 people
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium fish of choice - mackerel, tilapia, etc (1-2 pounds or 1/2-1 kg), substitute with fish fillet of choice
• 1 cup flour (125 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 medium onion - roughly chopped
• 1/2 stem celery
• 2 sprigs parsley/cilantro
• 4 cloves garlic - peeled
• 1/2 inch ginger - peeled
• 1 stem green onion - chopped
• 1 small Maggi cube, substitute with a teaspoon of bouillon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• Oil for frying - we used corn oil

Method

1. Cut fish into really thin slices- about 7-8 slices per fish. Rinse thoroughly then pat dry with a paper towel to absorb excess water.
2. Put ginger, garlic, onion, green onion, celery, parsley and Maggi/bouillon powder in a blender. Add two tablespoons of water and blend into a paste.
3. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a heaping tablespoon of the marinade on the fish. Mix well with your hand so the marinade gets to all angles of the fish. Set aside.
4. From the one cup of flour, remove about a quarter cup and place on a plate. Add a tablespoon of the marinade, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and half of the water to the remaining flour. Mix until smooth then add the remaining water and mix to form the batter. The consistency of the batter should be like that of a thick crepe batter.
5. Heat oil on high heat for about 5 minutes then turn the heat down to medium, Coat a fish slice in the flour on a plate then dip into the batter to coat properly. Place it in the oil. Repeat process with all of the fish. Let them fry on medium heat on each side for about 5 minutes. In all, the fish should spend 10-15 minutes in the oil.
6. When the fish is a beautiful golden brown colour, remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
7. Enjoy as it is or serve with chips of choice.